t__m__i off in Broad Street in Oxford as she had a greater desire to shop than I - I only wanted to look at magazines and computer books in Borders and to pick up my new spectacles. Mansfield Road was full, I think because lots of weddings were on, so I parked in Bradmore Road in Norham Manor.Whilst walking down to the Westgate Centre via St. John Street I came across 2 of the Blue Plaques erected by the Oxford Civic Society. viz:
2 Bradmore Road
Walter Pater (1839-94)
Author and scholar
Clara Pater (1841-1910)
Pioneer of women's education
and
16 St John Street
William Turner (1789-1862)
Artist
Now what leapt to mind were:
1. A slightly odd selection of people, given all the people that could have conceivably had Blue Plaques. Actually, looking at the website the selection of people seems very odd. Felicia Skene, anyone?
2. It seems to me to be contrary to the spirit of a great and ancient (or once-great and ancient, or ancient, depending on your stance on the subject) university city putting such things up at all. We come this way but once but the university goes on...
Now, if the point they were making were that there is more to the city than the (first) university, then I could relate to that as a valid point, but clearly they aren't since Tolkein and Bannister at the very least were both associated with the university.
